How to Find Meaning in Life When You Feel Stuck

Life isn’t always linear; sometimes, it feels like you’re treading water. If you’ve been wrestling with that numb, stuck sensation, it doesn't mean you've lost your direction; rather, it's an invitation to shift how you move toward meaning.

Here’s how to gently navigate that terrain with insight, science, and community.

Embrace Micro-Moments of Progress

Big goals and dramatic leaps can sometimes feel more like burdens than motivators. The antidote is to go small and celebrate everyday wins. This isn’t fluff – psychologists Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer found that noticing even the tiniest progress can spark motivation in powerful ways. Research also shows that these small recognitions activate dopamine, reinforcing momentum and improving well-being.

Try this: Set a micro-goal – maybe just taking five deep breaths, preparing one nourishing meal, or doing something that feels good for a few minutes. Notice it, name it, and celebrate it. These small shifts build confidence that movement is possible again.

Ground Yourself in Purpose and Resilience

Progress alone isn’t enough if it’s disconnected from meaning. Real fulfilment often lies in the broader sense that your life matters. The American Psychological Association highlights that individuals with a clear sense of purpose report significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression, and greater resilience after hardship.

Try this: Take time to reflect on what matters most to you right now. Is it connection, creativity, stability, or something else? Then ask: “What is one small way I can live this value today, even in a quiet or imperfect way?”

Meaning Blooms in Connection

Beyond personal purpose, meaning also grows in the space between people.

According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, meaningful relationships are centrally important for human functioning. We find a measure of meaning and comfort in our connections to others.

The scientists also found that a strong sense of belonging to a community had a stronger connection to mental well-being than even physical health. In fact, community belonging predicts lower symptoms of depression and anxiety. The study also confirms that social connection protects against depression, anxiety, and chronic illness – not as a side benefit, but as a foundation for well-being.

Try this: Reach out – not to “fix things,” but simply to share how you feel. Admitting you’re stuck is brave, and that moment of connection can feel like oxygen.

The Power of Community-Based Support

Sometimes connection needs structure. Emerging models like Zimbabwe's Friendship Bench show how community-led, peer-based support can effectively improve mental health. Lay “grandmothers” offer listening and gentle problem-solving, followed by peer groups that create belonging and reduce stigma.

Try this: Whether it’s a book club, a support circle, or an informal check-in with friends, cultivate a small, understanding community. Shared movement often makes stuckness feel lighter.

Blend Safety with Novelty

Comfort is important, but too much sameness can deepen the sense of being trapped. Research into well-being suggests three pathways to a “good life”:

• happiness (peace and joy),
• meaning (connection and purpose),
• psychological richness (novel, perspective-shifting experiences).

Especially when stuck, even small doses of novelty can provide clarity.

Try this: Experiment with something new: take a different walking route, listen to a podcast outside your usual interests, or try a five-minute creative exercise. Novelty, even in small doses, refreshes perspective.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset When You Feel Stuck

When you’re stuck, the inner critic often grows louder: “Why aren’t you doing more? What’s wrong with you?” This pressure only adds weight. The antidote is to cultivate a growth mindset – the belief that abilities and circumstances can change through effort and learning. Instead of “I am a failure,” the mindset shifts to “This is a challenge I can learn from.”

Try this: Notice negative self-talk and reframe it. Instead of, “I’m terrible at this,” ask, “What’s one small thing I can learn today?” Focus on effort, not outcome, and view setbacks as information rather than verdicts.

Unplugging to Hear Your Own Signal

In our noisy, digital world, it’s easy to drown out your inner voice. When we feel directionless, endless scrolling may numb the feeling, but rarely resolves it. Clarity often requires creating intentional quiet.

Try this: Try a “digital detox” – choose a set time each week to put devices away. Or practise single-tasking: cook a meal without background noise, or walk without music. These moments of quiet help you hear the desires and ideas hidden beneath the daily buzz.

Finding Meaning Through Service and Contribution

Connection is vital, but contribution brings another layer of meaning. Shifting focus from your own struggle to helping others can spark perspective and reduce isolation. When you contribute to something larger than yourself, you build new skills, strengthen confidence, and rediscover your own resilience.

Try this: Look for one small way to serve – volunteer locally, mentor someone younger, or offer a simple kindness to a friend or stranger. Contribution doesn’t have to be dramatic; it’s the act itself that nurtures meaning.

Give Yourself a Break: The Practice of Self-Compassion

Many people feel guilt or shame when they feel stuck. But research from psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff shows that self-compassion – treating yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend – is one of the most powerful antidotes. It’s not about giving up on yourself, but about reducing shame so there’s space for growth.

Try this: Place your hand over your heart and remind yourself: “This is a moment of suffering. It’s okay to feel this way. I am not alone in this feeling.” These simple words create space for gentleness instead of harshness.

Live Your Values, Not Just Your To-Do List

Meaning slips away when life is reduced to tasks. Values-based living shifts the focus. Instead of chasing goals for their own sake, you align your actions with what matters to you.

If connection is a value, that could mean sending one thoughtful message today. If creativity is a value, it could mean sketching for five minutes.

Try this: Choose one core value that matters most to you. Then do one small, imperfect action today that reflects it. Purpose comes not from perfect achievement, but from daily alignment.

Get a Dose of Awe: The Healing Power of Nature

Feeling stuck can feel small and suffocating. Nature has a way of dissolving that perspective. Studies show that even a 15-minute walk in a forest reduces rumination – the repetitive negative thoughts that feed stuckness. Experiencing awe, whether in front of a mountain, ocean, or starry sky, expands perspective and rekindles meaning.

Try this: Step outside and notice something you’ve overlooked before – the texture of a leaf, the pattern of clouds. Or, look at a breathtaking photo of a landscape and let yourself linger in that sense of vastness.

How to Help Nature? 10 Environmental Goals Easy to Set.

Every journey out of stuckness begins with small steps. This map shows how everyday actions can guide you toward a life filled with meaning again.

My not-so-easy search for life meaning

For me, the search for meaning has been a painfully real experience. When I was three years old, I was hospitalised with a severe infection. It was the early 90s, and parents weren’t allowed to stay overnight with their children. At first, my family visited me daily, but eventually the doctors stopped visits altogether because each goodbye made my health deteriorate. Basically, I spent two weeks there alone. That early experience left me afraid of people and socially uneasy for years.

At home, life wasn’t easier. My father struggled with alcoholism, and my mother was unpredictable and always busy. She didn’t have the time or calm presence to spend with me and my sister. As a teenager, I often felt terrible. I hid in my room, listened to heavy rock music, and wrestled with anxiety, loneliness, and a deep self-consciousness brought on by excessive sweating. I often felt ugly and invisible.

Now, at 37, I lead a fairly normal life, though the shadows of the past haven’t disappeared. I’ve been on antidepressants for almost three years, and I’ve gone through several rounds of therapy with more still ahead. I have a difficult relationship with sweets. But I keep going. I take care of my family, and I keep dreaming about working in a non-governmental organisation that creates positive change in the world.

I share this because feeling stuck isn’t just an abstract idea for me. It’s part of my lived reality. And yet, despite all of it, I’ve found that meaning can grow - slowly, unevenly, but surely - through small wins, support, compassion, and the hope of contributing to something larger than myself.

Here are a few words about my unsuccessful search for a remote ngo job.

You Don’t Have to Go It Alone

Being stuck can sometimes feel like a trap, but often, it’s a sign you’re ready for a deeper connection and a fresh direction. You don’t need to fix yourself overnight.

What helps is sharing the load, celebrating small steps, and rediscovering meaning – one gentle moment at a time.

Remember: feeling stuck isn’t the end of your story. It’s simply a pause, a chance to realign with what matters. Step by step, with compassion and community, you can find meaning again.

If you’d like a place to start, consider joining (or creating) your own small supportive village on GoalWatch. You’ll find a community that understands, shows up for your small wins, and gently walks alongside you as you rediscover purpose.

Because healing and meaning evolve best when you’re not alone.